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Three hours later, Gray found himself alone with Jewel and safe in the forest True to their word, the vah the city and left theh," one of theo now Do not return to the city" Before Gray could respond, they vanished in a flap of h the trees, their trunks blurring because of his own speed He wanted to make sure the vaht of thee

Satisfied they wouldn&039;t come back, he retraced his steps Jeas exactly where he&039;d left her, spreading out the lanced up at his approach

"I hope you&039;re hungry"

"Starved" He plopped down The air was cool and fragrant with summer scents Birds soared overhead, and the river trickled beside theet he&039;d been chased by crazed rily After having only a tasteless energy bar for breakfast, he would have sold his soul - le bite of that succulent meat

"Shall we eat?" she asked as proper as ever

He didn&039;t take time to respond, simply ripped off a piece of roaned at the sheer pleasure of it

Jewel did groan "I don&039;t think I&039;ve ever tasted anything quite this good," she said "Well, except you"

She kept saying things like that, and such boldness froh that he paused, his fowl-filled hand poised just in front of his mouth "I can say the same of you"

Since their last kiss, there had been a heavy tension between theain; they both knew it He couldn&039;t resist her; he just couldn&039;t Every ti hi himself His desire to bite her excited rather than repulsed her A blessing he wasn&039;t going to question

He didn&039;t knoith one hundred percent surety that she was the Jewel of Dunamis as he suspected Didn&039;t know if he&039;d have one ht with her orto be with her

When, he kneould be sooner rather than later

His gaze drifted to her Dirt and blood specks sles down her back And yet, with the vitality sparkling in her ocean-blue eyes, she&039;d never looked more lovely More exquisite

This tenderness he felt for her, this ferocity This need to be near her This furious passion and unquenchable hunger

This protective obsession

Only his sister, Katie, had ever brought out his protective instincts like this - and noel He felt anything but brotherly toward her

His sister would love her, he knew

"You&039;re thinking about your family," Jewel stated She nibbled on a soft loaf of bread stuffed with cheese His brows arched "And just how do you know that, oh non-mind reader?"

"Your expression is wistful Tell me about them"

"You already know about them"

"Tell me, anyway"

Between bites, he said, "Brian is the unflappable one, always strong, always steady Erik is the peaceave a "

As he spoke, everything inside him relaxed That had been Jewel&039;s purpose, he realized with adht this est Ice Queen"

"Madison or Jane?" Jewel asked with a grin "Madison"

"I remember her She never smiles"

"I don&039;t knohat the boy sees in her She&039;s emotionless and probably as asped in scandalized shock "What a horrible thing to say"

A laugh escaped hienuine it was "Maybe war up a prude is more fun than I realized"

Her cheeks reddened "I am not a prude"

"Believe me, Blaze, I know" He reached over and squeezed her hand "Nick is probably causing trouble somewhere with his warped sense of hu her husband, Jorlan, hell, andmy stepmom, Francis, hell It seems to be a family tradition"

"I wish I could e through his e of Jewel surrounded by his brothers,

sister and father They would welcome her with open arms, would love her openness and honesty, and hell, he&039;d love to watch her face as his sailor-mouthed family shocked her

"I&039;ve alished I had Katie&039;s strength," Jewel sighed wistfully "When she first met Jorlan, she could have easily been crushed by his sheerhilow and that glow dripped onto her features, casting her in a perfect fra, so we need to finish eating I want to wash up before lights out"

They finished their meal in silence, and Gray pushed to his feet He held out his hand "You ready?" "To bathe?" Jewel looked at hiet in that water withup, she curled her fingers through his He helped her to her feet A rosy flush of excitement colored her cheeks as they strolled the short distance to the river&039;s edge

"Are Merht just now occurring to him "They are still in the city, and I do not sense them"

"Did you last time?"